What you need to know about Higher Grade Living

Posted on September 29, 2015

High Grade Living is a term developed by The Broad Place with a philosophy where we take each day at a time, do a little more of what we love and what makes us happy, and a little less of what doesn’t serve us on the highest level.

The school specialises in taking a regular, stressed, under the pump person (all of us, right?!) and shifting them through accessible tools and practices so that they become more creative, grounded, healthier and happier. Jacqui takes ancient knowledge and makes it easy for us to understand (phew!) + implement in our modern-day lives.

“It doesn’t mean striving and pushing for luxury or premium,” says Jacqui Lewis, co-founder of The Broad Place. “It is about letting the low-grade fall away.”

Sound wonderful right? But how do we implement this approach into our hectic lives?

NOW IS THE TIME

Some of us think that life will be easier / less stressed / calmer / more fun / more creative / more interesting at a later date. That we’ll start eating better tomorrow, get fit next week, learn a tool we know will make us a better person in a month, and travel someplace fabulous next year. Soon, when times aren’t as tough, we’ll be happier, more inspired, and more creative, but now is not the time.

This is such an insane excuse for not being content now. Now is EXACTLY the right time to be who you need to be, and to be happier. So let’s just take baby steps.

THINK SMALL.

Take each day at a time, and be present in each moment. When feeling overwhelmed, or confused, just put it in the context of the day, not any grand plans for the year. Sometimes the thought of everything we need to do to achieve is simply too huge to tackle. So start small. Fill each day with something you love, and manage situations in a way that make you proud. Treat your body and digestion with respect and love, and nurture your mind. Work on your relationships and friendships with little things, manageable things that make a difference, if only to you at first, and how you feel.

For example

Will you feel better for going for that walk, or better without it?

Will you feel healthier if you drink half a bottle of wine or if you go without tonight?

Will losing your temper over something small in a few hours, make you feel proud of who you are, or make you feel regret?

Will taking 10 minutes for a quiet cup of tea or coffee help you be more productive for the rest of the work day, or can you really not spare the time?

CHOOSE THE BEST

We already have a High Grade Life, if only we let some of the low grade fall away and stop holding us down. High Grade Living is about choosing the best in every moment and letting the low grade diminish.

Take this thought with you in everything you do ‘Will this bring me happiness, or take away from it’ and then make an educated decision from that place. Not from a place of guilt or ‘should’. Decisions based on bringing the highest grade into your life at every opportunity.

View every decision in life as an opportunity to create happiness – sounds like a fantastic approach to me. I think we could all do with a little Higher Grade Living in our lives.

The Broad Place is a thoughtful, modern approach to conscious living created by Vedic Meditation teacher Jacqui Lewis and Creative Director Arran Russell. Combining ancient practice with modern life, this dynamic husband and wife team celebrate creativity with tools and projects that embrace high grade living and deliver unique educational experiences, high quality services, designs and products from around the globe.

They host free introductory talks on meditation at their Paddington School and Northern Beaches Warriewood residency most weeks.

Sal is on a mission to prove that healthy and nutritious doesn’t have to be boring – and that even while staying in shape you can have your cake and eat it too. After losing 14kg from adopting a healthier lifestyle, she shares her journey with others on The Fit Foodie Blog. She also writes for national health magazines, has launched a range of Protein Ball Mixes: Fit Mixes, and is the author of Love Move Eat (Bauer Media, 2017).

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